How to get rid of ants naturally: soap, sealing and a borate bait

Step by step: how to get rid of ants naturally

1. 1

   Follow the trail before you clean it

   Watch where the line of ants goes in both directions. One end leads to the food or water they found; the other leads to a crack, window frame, outlet, pipe or door threshold where they come in. Note both spots.

2. 2

   Wipe out the ants and their scent trail

   Vacuum the ants, or spray them and the trail with soapy water and wipe it all up. Ants follow a chemical trail, and soap removes it so new ants cannot follow it. Wipe a few inches on each side of the line, including up the wall and under the counter edge.

3. 3

   Remove what they came for

   Clean up crumbs, grease, sticky spots and spills. Move sugar, honey, syrup, cereal and pet food into containers with tight lids, and wipe the outside of jars and bottles. Rinse soda cans, take the trash out, and fix dripping faucets, since some ants come for water.

4. 4

   Seal the entry point

   Caulk the crack, gap or hole where the trail enters. For a fast plug tonight, a smear of petroleum jelly over a small crack will stop them until you can caulk. Check along pipes and wires, which ants use as highways inside walls.

5. 5

   Set a borate bait where the trail was

   Place a borate bait station or a few drops of liquid borate bait next to the entry point or along the outdoor trail. Worker ants carry it back and share it with the colony and queens. Do not wipe or spray around the bait while it is out, or the ants will avoid it.

6. 6

   Bait outdoors when you can

   Outdoor bait near the foundation draws ants away from the house rather than inviting them in. Place stations along ant trails, near nest openings and every 10 to 20 feet around the foundation on the side where they enter. Refill liquid baits as they are emptied.

7. 7

   Deal with ants in potted plants

   If ants are nesting in a houseplant, take the pot outside and submerge it so the soil is just covered in a solution of 1 to 2 tablespoons of insecticidal soap per quart of water for 20 minutes. Let it drain before bringing it back in.

8. 8

   Clear the foundation

   Pull mulch, grass and plants back from the foundation so there is a gap of at least several inches, trim branches touching the house, and manage aphids on nearby shrubs, which make the honeydew ants farm. These steps cut the number of ants scouting your walls.

Which natural ant remedies work?

Soapy water, sealing, cleaning and borate baits are the natural methods with real support. The University of California IPM program advises vacuuming trails or wiping them with soapy water or window cleaner, caulking or plugging entry points with petroleum jelly, and using baits, and says indoor sprays are not usually needed.

Can you get rid of ants overnight?

You can clear the ants you see overnight, but not the colony. Wiping the trail with soap, sealing the entry and putting food away will usually leave the counter empty by morning. The colony, though, is still outside or in the wall and will send new scouts.

Bait is what ends it, and it is slow on purpose. UC IPM explains that baits must act slowly so workers have time to carry them back and feed the rest of the colony, and that it can take 5 to 10 days to see fewer ants. Avoid fast-killing sprays at the same time, since they kill the workers before they share the bait. Expect a crowd at first: TERRO explains that ants that find the bait lay a scent trail for others, so you see more ants before you see fewer.

Is boric acid ant bait natural and safe?

Borate is a mineral-based, low-toxicity ingredient, and University of Maryland Extension suggests looking for low-toxicity baits such as boric acid with a sweetener. It is still a pesticide, so treat it with care.

• Use ready-made bait stations rather than homemade mixes, so the bait is enclosed and the dose is right.
• Place stations where children and pets cannot reach them, and follow the label. The EPA advises keeping pets and children away from treated areas as directed on the label.
• UMD notes that you should not clean around ant baits while they are working, because it keeps ants from feeding on them.
• If ants ignore one bait, try another; some species prefer sweet baits and others protein or grease.

Call a licensed pest control professional if ants keep coming after two weeks of baiting, if you see large black ants with sawdust (possible carpenter ants), or if you suspect fire ants. For ants that are mostly in the yard, see how to get rid of ants outside.

Mistakes to avoid

• Spraying insecticide on the trail while baits are out, killing the workers that would carry bait home.
• Cleaning the trail without finding and sealing where the ants come in.
• Putting bait inside when you could bait outside, which can draw more ants indoors.
• Leaving sugar, honey or pet food in bags and open boxes.
• Giving up on bait after a day; it takes about a week.